


The Benefit

by DemonicPresence



Series: The Bargain and the Benefit [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 'not good', Blood and Violence, Demons, Friendship, Here: Patton Thompson - Freeform, High School AU, M/M, Maybe LAMP later? Undecided, Patton and Roman are friends, Ro is a possesive thing, Roman is forever the Knight In Shining Armour, Swearing, TW: Blood, TW: Violence, Though this time, Virgil becomes a friend, beginnings of royality, disney mention, egregious use of a Disney song for a serenade, it's a bit, royality, tw: bullies, tw:swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 12:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17622560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonicPresence/pseuds/DemonicPresence
Summary: Months into the unlikely friendship between a human and a demon, their little friendship circle expands. Sequel to 'The Bargain'.





	The Benefit

**Author's Note:**

> The long-awaited sequel! There will be, if all goes according to plan, a third installment to this series tying up all loose ends. Please let me know what you think!! Warnings for fighting, blood, and violence near the end. Please message me if anything else needs to be tagged.

_"Sit down at my table, put your mind at ease. If you relax it will enable me to do anything I please,”_ came a sultry voice from the doorway of the early-morning English class. Patton, yawning, looked up to see Roman dancing his way into the room, grabbing a nearby student and spinning her around as she laughed and allowed herself to be pulled into the dance.

“Mr. Prince is that really necessary-” the teacher started but cut off and grinned as Roman flashed a smile at her, continuing to sing.

 _“I can read your future, I can change it 'round some too! I look deep into your heart and soul-"_ Roman sang, releasing the student and grabbing another hard around the shoulders as he walked into the class, nearly making his glasses fly off his face. “You do have a soul, don’t you Logan? _Make your wildest dreams come true!”_ He released the sputtering brainiac and danced his way towards Patton, who was now fully awake and grinning at his best friend’s antics. Grabbing his hand, he pulled Patton up and twirled him, and Patton let him, laughing and shutting his eyes as he spun, _“I voodoo, I got hoodoo, I go things I ain’t even tried-”_

Patton felt himself being dipped and opened his eyes to see Roman not inches from his face, smiling that charming smile of his, hair falling slightly over warm eyes, face flushed from his serenade. Patton blinked as he felt a blush creeping up his neck with how close the handsome teen was. What? Is that… red, in Roman’s eyes? Is he sick?

 _“And I’ve got friends on the other side,”_ Roman murmured softly, his grinning gaze never wavering from Patton’s. For a heartbeat, the room was still.

Then the bell rang, and the spell was broken.

“Thank you for that, Mr. Prince. If you would kindly release Mr. Thompson and take your seat, please,” the teacher said, and Roman reluctantly did so.

“Quite the dance there, Roman! You really swept me off my feet,” Patton was all smiles.

“Morning, Puffball,” Roman said cheerily, tipping his chair to lean back as he grinned at his friend. “Why thank you! I have you to thank for introducing me to that little gem. How was your night?”

“It was okay! Baked some cookies after you left. I still have a bunch if you’d like some!! How about you?”

“I fared all right. I was practicing my lines for _The Crucible,_ but other than that, it was incredibly dull. How I wished you were there to rescue me from my boredom!” Roman cried dramatically, throwing his arm across his eyes and ignoring the glares from their fellow students. Patton grinned sheepishly at the teacher as her eyes passed over the pair with a glare for silence.

“Today class, you will be getting into your groups to discuss the assigned chapter for _The Murder of Roger Ackroyd._ I will list be listing off the groups, so don’t go jumping over with your friends just yet…”

∞

The past few months, by Patton’s standards, had been a vast improvement to the rest of his High School years. He had never been very popular. He wasn’t bullied, but people didn’t go out of their way to talk to him either. When he tried to join conversation, people would give him their attention reluctantly, usually accompanied by eyerolls and sighing. This, as one can imagine, was very disheartening to the soft-hearted young man. He was a friendly kid, very bright and with a quick wit that manifested itself as puns and dad jokes at the drop of a hat. He had a lot of love to give, but no one seemed willing to be friends with him.

That is, until Roman Prince came along.

Roman was, in a word, Extra™. He was loud, flamboyant, and had a certain charisma about him that charmed all who met him. He had gravitated immediately to the Drama Club and the theatre, where he quickly became the lead actor in nearly all the school’s productions, plays and musicals alike. Everyone wanted to hang out with him, talk to him, be his friend. In the way of High School hierarchy and its need to fit everyone into a box, he quickly rose in popularity to the top of the school.

Yet, he still made time for him. Little old Patton.

He shared first period with Roman, English, as well as lunch and study hall. He always came in with a smile for him, eyes alight, where other peoples’ eyes had passed over or through him. Patton was overjoyed. Finally, a friend! He could scarcely believe it. How desperately he had wished for a friend, for someone to finally notice him and accept him, and it had finally come true.

It had gotten even better when Patton had worked up the courage to invite Roman to his house a couple weeks after school started. His parents were rarely there, and he got lonely in the large, empty house. Roman had agreed enthusiastically but looked confused when Patton mentioned a Disney marathon.

Patton couldn’t believe it when the words “What in the name of all things good and gracious is Disney?” came out of Roman’s mouth. Flabbergasted wasn’t a big enough word to describe his shock, and he knew some big words too.

Oh, he had to rectify this _yesterday._

Naturally, the best place to start was the beginning. They watched it all: The Golden Age through to The Revival Era. Mary Poppins, Cinderella, Snow White, Frozen, Peter Pan, Aladdin, The Fox and the Hound, Beauty and the Beast, Bambi, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, The Lion King—you name it, they watched it. Hours were spent discussing the finer points of Disney – of course, Roman loved the Princes and the heroics. They fit two or three movies into a day, sometimes more, spending long hours with each other until Patton’s parents came home. Of course, they absolutely HAD to touch on some of Patton’s favorites growing up: Brother Bear, Robin Hood, and, of course, Winnie the Pooh!

He created a monster.

∞

Patton and Roman entered the cafeteria like they did every other day; waiting in too long-lines full of loud, roughhousing students only to pay for meals that were only slightly better than cardboard. Patton noticed, however, that their meals were always slightly better quality than the lunches of those around them. Maybe they just got lucky?

Patton glanced around the lunchroom, looking for a place he and Roman could sit – though they normally ended up with the A Lunch drama students, they were a nice bunch – when he noticed someone tucked into the farthest corner of the lunchroom, hoodie pulled up and head down on his arms. He didn’t have any lunch in front of him, and the lunch period was more than halfway over by the time he and Roman got to the food.

Patton’s heart broke a little, and his mouth set in a line. He grabbed two helpings of everything, not sure what the boy would like. Roman raised an eyebrow.

“Hungry today, sunshine?” he asked, gesturing to the overflowing plate of food.

“It’s not all for me,” Patton replied, and Roman’s eyebrow climbed higher at the touch of determination in Patton’s voice. Not quite steel, but a hardened edge, the sound just before tears choked the voice.

“Are you all right?”

“I just can’t stand the thought of people eating alone! I think he needs a friend,” Patton finished his sentence as they approached the cashier, and he smiled at her. Roman swooped in and paid for all three meals before Patton could even reach for his wallet. “Roman!”

Roman shrugged. “Money’s not an issue, Padre. Now, where did you want to sit again?”

Patton led the way to the back of the cafeteria. Roman’s eyes fell on the boy slumped over the table, noted the rise and fall of his torso under the black-and-purple patchwork hoodie. He could see the fringes of deep purple hair poking out from under the fabric. He cocked his head ever so slightly as Patton approached the boy.

“Excuse me?” Patton’s voice was soft, careful. Roman could see the visible effort Patton was putting into toning his effervescent self down a notch, and he frowned. All that time spent bringing Patton out of his shell (though admittedly it was not hard to do), and here he was muting it for some boy.

Said boy snapped his head up, slightly wild-eyed. His eyes were a chocolate brown set into an angular face, ringed in black – it was difficult to tell where the bags under his eyes ended and the dark eyeshadow began. Roman frowned; he could see the thinness in the boy’s neck even from a few paces behind Patton.

“Hi! My name’s Patton, and this is my friend Roman. Do you think we could sit with you today?” Patton was asking the boy, smiling at him warmly. The boy was gaping like a fish, mouth opening and closing. He was clearly stunned people were talking to him. Roman’s brows furrowed slightly, his jaw twitching in irritation. He did not suffer stuttering fools gladly.

His reaction, though, went unnoticed. The boy at the table nodded his head jerkily, fiddling with the frayed sleeves of his hoodie as the two took their seats. Patton was beaming, and the irritation in Roman’s chest eased a little at Patton’s pleasure.

“Thank you very much! So, like I said, my name is Patton and this is-” Patton was starting to ramble excitedly, and Roman stood again, swinging his arm up and out to dip into a bow.

“Roman Prince, at your service!” his voice was loud and confident, laying on the charm like he did with all the humans, but he noticed the boy in mid-flinch at his volume when he stood again.

“…. V-Virgil,” the boy’s voice was almost a whisper, and Roman’s head cocked again, the movement barely perceptible, still smiling.

“Ah, like the Roman poet! A fine name,” Roman said, though his voice was definitely toned down now. Virgil blinked up at him, shocked.

“Y-Yeah..?”

“I think it’s awesome!” Patton said brightly, and Virgil looked at him. “Anyway, I was wondering, ah, uhm, if you… well, I don’t want to assume, but – did you have something to eat today?”

“What?” Virgil blinked at Patton, who pushed his tray closer to the middle of the two. A spork was resting on the either side of the tray.

“Well I noticed that you were here all alone, kiddo, and you looked tired and I didn’t know if you had eaten anything and I mean I don’t want anyone to go hungry. You look like a really nice guy and I was hoping we could be friends and I thought maybe-” Patton stopped dead and swallowed at the blank look on Virgil’s face. Roman’s eyes narrowed.

“I… I’m sorry. I’m doing it again, I…” Patton was muttering now, looking at his hands. Roman was swearing in multiple languages in his head at the look of self-doubt in Patton’s eyes. “I always get a little over excited with this kind of stuff… I’m sorry.”

Virgil was quiet for several long seconds, his eyes dropping from Patton to the food. Slowly, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he reached for the utensil, digging it into the food. He glanced up to Patton again and nodded after he took a bite.

“Thanks, Pat. I appreciate it. I… I think we could be friends, i-if you wanted to,” Virgil said. His voice was still soft, still laced with anxiety, but it was warm and genuine all the same. Patton’s smile lit up the room, and Roman relaxed, assessing Virgil again as the three chatted amicably.

Yes, Roman thought he could grow to like this boy as well.

∞

Roman was whistling as he strolled into the public library, long after school had ended for the day.

He didn’t usually frequent the establishment, save for the odd source material for a production, but today he was on a bit of an errand. The dramaturg was behind on his notes and had begged Roman to collect some books he needed to gather the information for the play. Roman was only too happy to oblige; he did love being owed favors.

The back-door opening caught his ear once he finished his conversation with the librarian, the books in hand. He raised his eyes in time to see a boy being hustled out the door by a group of four other boys. He frowned slightly as he watched. Those glasses looked awfully familiar…

Slipping the requested books into his messenger bag, he turned on his heel to exit through the front door. Roman made his way around the building, his boots making no sound in the grass as he neared the corner that led to the back exit. He leaned against the wall as the sounds of a scuffle made themselves apparent. He glanced around the corner.

“Where do you think you’re going, Four-Eyes?” the biggest boy snarled as he shoved his classmate against the wall. The boy’s glasses were knocked from his face, and the gang of seniors before him blurred slightly.

“I was in the middle of studying when you interrupted me, and my belongings are still inside. I wish to retrieve them immediately,” the now glasses-less boy said. Roman was amused at how crisp and haughty he sounded, even when faced with odds like this. The older boy snarled and shoved him again. This time he fell, sprawling on the concrete. Unfortunately, he landed square on his glasses, and even Roman winced at the crunching glass and frames.

The gasp of pain was clear. Now sitting up slightly, Roman saw the shards of glass and plastic embedded in the boy’s hands and forearms alongside gravel. The boy – who he could now see was his classmate Logan, the brainiac he had teased the other day – frowned at the bloody mess of his hands, then glared up at the bullies.

“Those were Warby Parkers. You’ll be paying for a new pair,” Logan said, and he was bowled over by a sharp kick to his stomach by another senior. He clutched his stomach, groaning. He yelped when a third grabbed him by the hair and pulled him semi-upright sharply.

“Punk thinks he’s better than us,” the boy spat in Logan’s face, “just because you’re so fucking smart. You’re gonna be paying for your hospital bills when we’re through with you.”

“I can assure you that you won’t get away with this,” Logan gasped out, groaning when he was backhanded across the face. Roman gritted his teeth, anger beginning to boil in his gut.

Whether by his time on Earth or Patton’s loving influence, this scene disgusted him. Sure, Logan was a smart-mouthed prat sometimes, but he was also witty and genuine, and hadn’t complained when paired with Patton for English class. (Okay, maybe he complained a little at the puns that Patton dropped nonstop, but it was clear the annoyance had melted to amusement when he realised Patton took him seriously.) And though they were so different, Logan loved to engage in a battle of words with Roman whenever the chance arose. Roman had found very few in the entire school who could match – and seldom beat – Roman in a battle of wits when it came to rap and word games. Logan was at the top of that list.

“Keep talking, dipshit,” the last of the bullies was snarling, “and I’ll break your jaw. Won’t be able to sound so smart then, huh?” Logan was coughing, injured hands now scrabbling against the iron grip that had moved to his tie, the knot threatening his air supply.

“Go… to hell…” Logan wheezed. Roman stepped out from around the corner, messenger bag falling to the ground with a thud.

“I think I can help them with that particular trip,” Roman said, his voice sing-song and airy. Five heads snapped towards him, and one of the biggest stepped towards him.

“What are you doing here, fairy? Mind your own fucking business,” he spat at Roman. Roman’s smile grew wider.

“But, good sir, this _is_ my business. You and your friends happen to have your hands on someone I do consider a companion; and what’s worse, you’ve appeared to harm him,” Roman tsked. “That won’t do at all.”

“What are you gonna do about it, theatre wimp? Take us on? As if a shrimp like you would last five minutes!” another crowed, and the group of boys laughed at their own sad sense of humor. Logan’s eyes found his, silently pleading with Roman to go, run, get away from here.

Roman was big for the age he had chosen. Nearly eighteen like Patton, he stood a few inches taller than his slender friend, and was nearly twice his size when it came to muscle definition. He stepped forward until he was nearly face-to-face with the closest bully. Roman hadn’t stopped smiling.

“I think you’ll find I’m more than a match for the likes of you,” Roman said, his voice pitched low intentionally. The bully had to strain forward to hear him, his mouth open in an ugly retort, when Roman raised his hand and backhanded the boy. This was the boy, in fact, who had done the same move to Logan.

The difference was this boy was sent flying into the side of the dumpster behind the library, and landed with an audible crash, leaving a massive dent in the green-gray metal. The remaining bullies stared; some at their friend, some at Roman, all in varying degrees of shock and rage. The boy who had ahold of Logan’s tie had released him, and he had slumped to the ground, coughing. He locked wide eyes with Roman again, who motioned for him to run when he had the bullies distracted. Blessedly, Logan obeyed when he caught his breath, running like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

The analogy wasn’t too far off, though it wasn’t him that was the prey.

The remaining three boys were too focused on Roman to notice Logan’s escape, advancing on him slowly. Roman stood stock still, smiling a now just too-sharp smile, his eyes beginning to take on their blazing garnet hue.

“Well?” he asked, _“Who’s next?”_


End file.
